Locking clousre



C. H. NEHLS LOCKING CLOSURE Nov. 1, 1938.

Filed Dec. 11, 1936 INVENTOR. CHARLES H. NEHLS FIG.5.

ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 1, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2 Claims.

This invention relates to locking closures, and especially concerns covers for tanks and other receptacles. An important aim of the invention is to provide an improved locking cap, incorporating mechanism of simple, secure and tamper-proof character rendering the entire cap body, and all accessible portions thereof, freely rotatable when the cap is locked, such rotatability preventing removal of the cap.

A further object is the provision of such a locking cover, the working parts of which are effectively protected against the entrance of moisture, the danger of freezing and sticking of the parts in cold weather being thereby obviated.

Another object of the invention is the provision of such a cap adapted to be incorporated in a design of especially neat and attractive appear ance. A further object is to provide in such a locking cap a body portion carrying the lock so arranged that when the cover is in place upon a container, the body portion may be clutched and released with respect to a concealed and inaccessible closure portion extending into the opening to be closed.

A further object is the provision of improved and simplified locking means for such caps, as well as improvement of the means for rotatably connecting the closure and cap portions.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawing illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, and wherein similar reference numerals designate similar parts throughout the several views.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a bottom view of a cap incorporating the principles of this invention and suitable for use as a tank cover or the like.

Figure 2 is a diametric cross-section thereof.

Figures 3 and 4 are horizontal sections taken substantially on the lines 33 and 4-4 respectively of Figure 2 and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a view in diametric cross-section and partly broken away, taken substantially at right angles to the plane of Figure 2.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the closure section, partly broken away and with the pivotal attaching means removed but shown in position ready for insertion.

Figure 7 is a perspective view of the interior of the closure portion, one wall thereof being broken away; and

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the interior of the cap portion, with the closure portion removed.

. less conventional belled external contour, centrally carrying an integrally cast downwardly projecting barrel portion l2 which constitutes the cylinder for the plug l5 of a tumbler-lock, and also rotatably supports a cup-shaped closure member 35, fitted over the bottom of the barrel. The plug is exposed at the top of the cap to receive a key, in the conventional manner, but a protecting key-hole cover I! pivoted to the top of the cap body and adapted to seat upon a ringgasket 18 encircling the plug is provided to seal the lock cylinder against the access of moisture from the outside, and swingable laterally to afford access to the key-hole. The key-hole cover is shown pivotally attached to the cap body H] by means of a downwardly projecting boss 59 extending into the top of a bore (undesignated) in the cylinder portion l2. A pin or screw, as 2|, carried by the boss, projects from the bottom of the barrel through the counterbored lower end 32 of the bore and into the boss 19. In the counterboredportion 32 and beneath the head of the screw 2| a compression spring 23 encircling the screw is trapped, such spring acting to hold the key-hole cover I l yieldably seated against the gasket, which is somewhat depressed below the remainder of the top of the cap body, to tend to center the small swinging cover.

In the periphery of the barrel portion l2 near its top a groove 26 is provided, and the closure member is shown rotatably attached to the bar-, rel by means of key elements 31 projected through slots, as 38, in the sides of the closure and into such groove 26 in the barrel. The body and barrel are preferably integrally cast, and the keys may be provided with struck-up portions, as 39, to increase the friction of their engagement with the slotted portions of. the closure member. When fully inserted, the extremities of the keys project from the closure into the belled interior of the cover, such projecting portions being perforated to enable their removal by means of a suitable tool, but only when the inside of the cap is accessible.

From the flat bottom surface of the barrel 2. pair of guides 25 project downwardly in parallel relation to form a slideway for the radially shiftable lock bolt or detent 30. The bolt may be stamped of relatively heavy sheet metal, and its c a purpose which will presently appear.

shape and arrangement are best shown in Figures 3 and 8. As there indicated, it carries an integral pointed extremity 3| which is operative to lock together the body and closure portions of the cover and is providedwith a back taper, for The bolt is projectible laterally from the bottom of the barrel I2 to engage between detent teeth 50 carried by the body, from which teeth it may be retracted, to free the body portion forlindependent rotation, thus, preventing removal iof;the cap. The enlarged rear portion of the bolt is retained between the guides and actuable by an eccen tric pin l6 projecting from the lower end of the It Will belock plug into a slot 32 in the bolt. appreciated that when the lock plug-is rotated, by means of a suitably bitted key, the boltor detent may be reciprocated to project and retract the same. l

The inwardly projecting detent teeth 50 car ried:by the cuppedclosure member 35 are also integrally cast in place; and arranged; at thev 1111'- side, bottom corner of the cup, as best shown in Figure 7. Each tooth has-parallel sides, impart;- ing" an outward taper to the space between any two thereof.

tion 3] in such fashion that. torque applied to the cap body tends, by forcing fthesides of the bolt and adjacent tooth together (when the boltisprojected), to urge the bolt-outwardly, thus insuring, its maintenance in projectedposition.

From the outer surface of the closure member near the bottom, extend holding lug portions 4|,

which constitute the projecting. ends ofa trans versely disposed sheet. metal strip 40, centrally carried by the closurenear thebottom thereof and,

housed in an under-cut slot 42. in the bottom of such closure member, the slot being'closed and the lug strip held in place a conform-ablyshapedslide 43 fittedinto the slot from one end.

The lug portions 41 are adapted to-cooperate with bayonet-type locking portions (unshown) carried at the neck .or opening-of the receptacleto which the cover is-to be attached, although it will be appreciated that screw-type or other suitable holding portions might, be provided. The lug strip also may act as'a spring'to hold slide 43 in place, a central boss, as M, struck up slightly from the surface of thestrip 40 for engagement with'an appropriately arrangedde- V pression (undesignated) in the slide, acting as a positive lock to retain the slide, as well as to provide a centering pocket uponthe other side of -.-j:the strip for the apex of an inverted conical spring 45trappedin an opening, as 46, in the bottom of the closure member, The opening connects slide-way 42' with the interior, and a 'cup-ped spring retainer, slidably fitted. in such opening, covers the base of the spring and bears upwardly against the bol-tBIl, holding the parts against rattling and serving as a slide for; the bolt.

It will also be seen that when the bolt is projected, the closure member 35-and bayonet looking portions 40- may be turned as a unit with the As shown in Figure 3, such outward taper cooperates with the, back taper of bolt por- 'asgtorfit deeply into theneck oropening of the container to which the cap is applied, to such extent, for example, as to seat the gasket 55 against the top of the neck or container, while the cap body extends down the outside of. the neck or lies-close. to -the top of the container, making the closure portion inaccessible, and, by reason ofthe free rotatabil-ityof the cap body when the device isllocked, irremovable save by the use of a proper key.

What I claim is:

1. A locking cover construction comprising a cuppedclcsure member, a body member rotatably. connected to the closure member, locking meanscarriedby and rotatable with the body member, including; a, detent movable into'and out of a position in detainingengagement with both-of said members, said body meinber having a portion rotatably extending into the cupped closure, member, said: detent being slidably mounted between the bottom of said LPOI'tlOIl and the bottom of the closure member, inside the latter and outside the former, cooperating abut ment, portions between which the-detent is slidable, carried both by said'body portion which projects into the cupped closure member and by the cupped closure member, said detent being movable to and from bridging relation with the abutment portions to. connectland disconnect the body and closure members, external means comprising a transverse member carried by and'projectingat its: ends from the closure member, said transverse-member also being arranged at least partly between said closure mem her and said portioniof the body member which projectszthereinto, and a spring arranged between saiddetent and transverse member for,

urging one against said body member and the other against the closure 'member, and also urging said body and closure members longitudinally with relation to each other;

2. In a lockable container closure ofthe type having an external belied body freely rotatablewhen the" closure is locked, a-cupped closure element rotatably attached to the-body,-said body having a portion rotatably fittedinto the closure element, said closure element having a substantially cylindrical wall and an outwardly extending thickened abutmentportion at its top, within the belled-body, forming a shoulder adapted to act lug-forming as an abutment forsealing means, and keying means also extendingthrough said thickened portion to rotatably join the cuppedclosure portion to saidinterfitted portion ofthe body.

' i Q CHARLES H. NEHLS. 

